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Last year, Arne Slot won the sprawling Liverpool fanbase over with his incredible success in replacing the irreplaceable Jurgen Klopp and establishing a clear and compelling identity.

But last season’s Premier League title triumph is a far cry from this current Liverpool crop, who have been battered away from title-defending contention after a run of six losses and just one win across eight league fixtures.

So much has gone awry, but Slot’s failure to get a tune out of £125m summer signing Alexander Isak has got to be among the biggest worries.

Isak's start to life at Liverpool

Isak, 26, left Newcastle as one of the most devastating forwards in world football, instrumental in the rise of Eddie Howe’s Tyneside team over the past three years.

But there’s no question that he’s struggled to adapt so far this season, having only scored twice so far and routinely drifting on the edge of matches. After Liverpool’s recent draw to Sunderland, Slot admitted that providing the 26-year-old was among his priorities to fix.

But, for now, his impact has been nominal, failing to bring the completeness and sharpness that his predecessor, Darwin Nunez, failed over three years to sustain with consistency.

Reporter David Lynch actually claimed last month that “Isak is currently offering less than Nunez did during his final year at Anfield”, and the few games he has played since have offered little encouragement that such a bold claim is without legs.

However, this is a time for cool heads, as far as the Swedish striker’s future on Merseyside is concerned.

Isak is one of the best strikers in the world, and he will surely come good at the Anfield spearhead.

Liverpool's new version of Darwin Nunez

Liverpool have enjoyed Cody Gakpo’s services for almost three years now, purchasing PSV Eindhoven’s talisman for a fee rising to £45m in late December 2022.

The left-sided forward is well regarded as one of the most prolific wingers in European football, but his overall performances do leave something to be desired. In fact, his samey efforts down the wing have irked some Liverpool fans across the campaign, and it is for this reason that he, and not Isak, is becoming the club’s new version of Nunez.

Liverpool have been too predictable this season, and the sight of Gakpo claiming the ball on the left flank and proceeding to cut inside has become a too-regular occurrence, something opponents are clearly cottoning onto.

The Netherlands international does offer something, but he isn’t dynamic enough, and the absence of Luis Diaz’s electric threat is accentuated by his sustained starting role on the left wing.

Looking at the data could leave a few fans feeling rather incredulous. Gakpo is statistically among the most creative players in the Premier League this season, and his return of four goals and three assists from 12 top-flight starts is pretty good for an outfit so far out of sorts.

Bruno Fernandes

40

2.9

Jeremy Doku

31

3.3

Mohamed Salah

28

2.3

Yankuba Minteh

27

2.0

Cody Gakpo

26

2.2

But he has also fallen into the trap of predictability, and many are questioning why someone like Federico Chiesa is not getting a chance to show what he can do in his stead (reminder: Chiesa has not started in the Premier League or Champions League for Liverpool this year).

Nunez left Anfield a popular figure, but it was clear that Liverpool needed to level up at number nine after three terms of inconsistency from the Uruguayan.

Gakpo isn’t inconsistent, per se, but he is undoubtedly frustrating in his inswinging repetition, and this is why he is becoming a picked-on figure in the same vein as Nunez before him.

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1 ByAngus Sinclair 7 days ago

A misfiring batting line-up and an under-stocked bowling attack contribute for sixth series loss in seven

Cameron Ponsonby29-Oct-2025Why are England bad at this?A batting line-up full of talented cricketers with proven international records. A world-class fast bowler leading the attack, and a wrist-spinner who’s considered one of the best of all time. It’s a Sainsbury’s list of ingredients, producing Sainsbury’sresults.Defeat in Hamilton was England’s sixth series defeat out of seven. It was their ninth consecutive away ODI loss: the most they have ever lost in succession. For years, there have been valid caveats for England’s poor results in the format. The line was, ‘wait until they’re back at full-strength and all will be fine’. Well now they are, and now it’s not.On paper, automatic World Cup qualification is in doubt. Ranked eighth in the world, they still need to drop below Bangladesh and West Indies for that iceberg to appear on the horizon. It’s a fate they have plenty of time to avoid … but the same was said last year. They’ve since lost 11 out of 15.”It’s a tough question to answer,” Harry Brook replied, when asked why it’s all going wrong. “We’ve got some of the best players in the world and we just haven’t performed as well as we could have done. New Zealand have just outplayed us.”There are two strands here. An underperforming batting line-up and an incomplete bowling one.There is no doubt that England’s top six is the best they have to offer. The option to shuffle the deck would be to return to one of Phil Salt or Will Jacks, or instead turn to either Zak Crawley or Jordan Cox. That’s it. Gone are the days of England’s white-ball batting riches. The lack of a domestic 50-over competition in which the best one-day players can prove their worth is unquestionably a hindrance on developing the next generation. But that criticism doesn’t hold for the settled line-up that has played this year. They are more familiar, recently at least, with the format than their opponents. Only one of New Zealand’s XI ahead of the first match of the series had played a 50-over game in the preceding six months.Jofra Archer forms part of an England attack that is operating at 60% capacity•Getty ImagesNevertheless, in England’s eight away ODI matches this year (of which they’ve lost the lot), they have been bowled out before their allocated overs on seven occasions. Brook is adamant that he wants England to be aggressive, citing Jamie Smith’s dismissal today where he looked to hit over the leg-side only to be caught at point, as a preferable method of dismissal than nicking off defending all day. That is fine – and to go all on you for a second, England’s strategy has long been to aim for the stars and if you fail, then fall in a cloud. But they are just falling.It is a bewildering series of events, in which a batting line-up so comfortable at cruising at five-runs-an-over in Test cricket get themselves in such a tangle trying to go at sixes against the white.”It’s hard to say,” said Rachin Ravindra, a player whose flowing style would be welcomed into the England team with open arms, explaining the shift between formats. “Naturally for me, the way I play, I like the tempo of 50-over cricket the best. I can play good cricket shots without having to force anything. It just requires a bit of knuckling down [when the ball is moving] and then you make it up in the back end.”Safe in the knowledge they were only chasing 175, New Zealand were 17 for one after eight overs. Ravindra himself on five off 19.”It’s a hell of a challenge,” he said of countering Jofra Archer with the new ball. “You know if you can get through that, you can get through most spells in the world.”If you’re not taking wickets up top, you’re chasing your tail then with four guys out when it’s easy to score.”England lost their first three wickets at Mount Maunganui after two overs, and lost their first three wickets at Hamilton after 12.Related

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The bright red flashing light is whether England’s top-order can deal with the moving ball in more than one way. That was the criticism yesterday, and it is the criticism today. Nothing in the first two matches of this series, and with the Ashes to come on similar surfaces, has been down to dissuade that.Counterintuitively, however, England will arguably consider their bowling the greater area of concern. The batting unit is underperforming and failing. And that is bad. But the bowling unit is underperforming and at par. And that is worse.Between Brydon Carse, Archer and Adil Rashid, England have 60% of an excellent bowling attack. But the age-old question remains: how they will take middle-over wickets without relying on Rashid to produce a moment of magic? Jamie Overton and Sam Curran bowled eight overs between them today, a direct indication of where Brook believes his wicket-taking threats lie, and where they don’t.Overton, to his credit, produced a beauty to remove Kane Williamson in a moment that will help his cause greatly. Between his batting, fielding and towering 6’5″ frame, he is so close to being the perfect cricketer to balance this team at No.8. His sample size is still small, but the fact of the matter is that, in his nine ODI matches, England have lost seven.Curran, meanwhile, is enjoying a renaissance as a T20 cricketer and feels a natural fit at No.6 in that side. In the shortest format, his addition of a moon-ball and left-arm angle makes him a wicket-taking threat when batters are going after him. However, when his job is to make a dead-ball leap off the surface in the middle-overs of a one-day game, his all-round package diminishes. In the T20I team he bats six and is the third seamer; in the one-day team he bats seven and is the fourth. His relative value is laid out as soon as the team sheet is submitted. As ever, though, who are you picking instead? England tried Jacks at seven against South Africa with only four specialist bowlers. That didn’t work either.Ultimately, England have one problem they don’t understand, and a second problem that they do. Both need to be solved for the rut to end.

Manchester United had a busy summer reshaping their attack to help cater to Ruben Amorim’s infamous 3-4-2-1 system. There were two major outgoings in forward areas, with two academy graduates departing.

Alejandro Garnacho moved on a permanent deal to Chelsea, and Marcus Rashford joined Barcelona on loan with an option to buy.

Of course, the Red Devils needed to sign replacements, with two big-money signings moving to Old Trafford. One of those was Bryan Mbeumo, who has hit the ground running since his move from Brentford.

Matheus Cunha has also shone after his summer transfer from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

However, United appear not to be done there, with another attacking target lined up.

Latest on Man Utd's search for a forward

You cannot knock the signings of Mbeumo and Cunha, who have both performed well since moving to Old Trafford. Cameroon star Mbeumo has been particularly impressive, with seven goals and assists in just 12 games for the Red Devils.

Well, INEOS could now look to add to that firepower up front with a move for Borussia Dortmund and Germany forward Karim Adeyemi.

Sky Sports Germany are reporting that the 13-time Premier League champions are ‘in talks’ with his agent, Jorge Mendes, over a potential move for the attacker.

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23-year-old Adeyemi will be out of contract in June 2027, and at this stage, it is unclear whether he will extend his stay at the Signal Iduna Park.

This could give United, and other top European clubs, a chance to pounce.

A price is not confirmed should a move materialise, but there is a rumoured release clause of £70.5m in his potential new deal, a fee Dortmund could demand.

Why Man Utd could be targeting Garnacho 2.0

The 2025/26 campaign has been impressive from Adeyemi, who is performing well and putting up a good goals and assists output. Yet, he’s been an important player for Dortmund, showing great versatility by operating on both flanks and as a number nine.

This term, the 11-cap Germany international has found the back of the net three times and assisted three goals, in 14 appearances so far. On top of that, Seb Stafford-Bloor, The Athletic’s German football correspondent, says he thinks this is the “best football of his career.”

Perhaps this impressive form is a continuation of his 2024/25 campaign, by far his most productive in that famous Yellow shirt so far. In 41 appearances, he scored 12 goals and assisted 11, including a famous Champions League hat-trick against Celtic.

If United were to bring Adeyemi to the club, he could be the second coming of Garnacho, with the pair noted as statistically similar players among those in their position in Europe’s top five leagues, as per FBref.

The Argentine is showing his former club what they’re missing out on by selling him this summer. For Chelsea, Garnacho already has two goals and two assists in ten games.

It may be a sale that will always leave Red Devils fans wondering what could have been. Their former number 17 showed flashes of brilliance for the club, but struggled when Amorim took over.

He managed ten goals and assists under the tutelage of the Portuguese manager, including this stunning strike against Brentford.

It is easy to see how the players are similar. The pair are quick, direct wingers who utilise their pace well, looking to drive at defenders. On top of that, their underlying numbers from this season are similar.

For example, Adeyemi – described as a “pace monster” by analyst Ben Mattinson – averages 1.43 key passes per 90 minutes, compared to Garnacho’s 1.58 key passes each game.

Goals and assists

0.54

0.79

Key passes

1.43

1.58

Shot-creating actions

4.47

3.15

Take-ons completed

2.32

1.32

Ball recoveries

2.86

2.89

Both attackers are versatile forwards who could play as a number 10 or even at wing-back under Amorim. They offer similar creativity in the final third and possess blistering pace, which can hurt defenders.

There is no doubt that £70.5m is a large fee for the German. Yet, Adeyemi could enhance the quality of United’s attack and be the second coming of one of their most exciting academy graduates in recent years.

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2 ByEthan Lamb Nov 18, 2025

The fast bowler is keen to keep himself in action ahead of facing England and will likely combine white and red-ball cricket

Andrew McGlashan28-Aug-2025

Josh Hazlewood will likely have a mixture of white and red-ball cricket ahead of the Ashes•Getty Images

Josh Hazlewood is expecting to play a Sheffield Shield match in the lead-up to the Ashes in November as he prepares to counter an “unbelievable” England batting line-up, which he believes will be strongest they will have brought to Australia during his career.Hazlewood recently played five out of the six white-ball matches against South Africa having sat out the T20I series against West Indies following the Tests while Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc have not featured in the last few weeks. Hazlewood won’t be in action on the field in September but wants to keep getting miles in the legs ahead of the first Test in Perth rather than having extended downtime.”It felt like over the last 12 months, the best way for me to go about it is just keep on ticking over, keep playing, not having too long off bowling,” Hazlewood said at an event to promote Play Cricket week. “I find…getting back to that intensity and volume is quite tough for me. So if I can just keep staying up there, match intensity as long as I can, then that’s sort of the best way for me to go about it.”Related

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Hazlewood, who played four Tests during the 2023 Ashes, is expecting a tough challenge from the England batting line-up. At times in the recent India series they showed a more nuanced approach rather an all-out attack, before falling to six-run defeat at The Oval. A 7 for 66 collapse triggered by a stroke from Harry Brook promoted significant debate after a spectacular hundred.Brook, currently the No. 2-ranked Test batter behind Joe Root, will be on his first Test tour of Australia and in nine T20Is in the country in 2022 had a top score of 20. His first-class experience is limited to one England Lions outing in 2021 and how he adjusts to conditions will be key to the team’s prospects. So, too, the performance of Root who has yet to score a Test century in Australia where he averages 35.68 from 14 matches.Josh Hazlewood expects Harry Brook to play without any baggage in Australia•AFP/Getty Images”England has obviously been quite flat wickets recently, the last few years, and it’s been a really dry summer as well, so they are probably starting to get tired and spin now,” Hazlewood said. “I think [Brook] will adapt. He’s a good player. He’s at the top of the rankings for a reason, and he’ll be a tough challenge.”When [Root] first came out, it was a little bit of a different attack. It was probably [Mitchell] Johnson and [Ryan] Harris and [Peter] Siddle. Gaz [Nathan Lyon] has been around a long time now, so he was probably there, but we sort of just jumped on the back of that”I think a fresh face like Harry Brook might find it easier. There’s no baggage behind him and he can just come out and play with freedom as he does. Joe’s probably in the form of his life as well. So they’re an unbelievable batting line, to be honest. The top seven have done really well…so it’s a challenge.”Asked whether it will be strongest batting up England have sent to Australia in recent times, Hazlewood said: “Yeah, definitely.”Australia have a three-match T20I series against New Zealand in early October then India visit for ODIs and T20Is ahead of the Ashes. It remains to be seen how Hazlewood’s schedule will be juggled to allow him a red-ball outing – the fourth round of Sheffield Shield matches starting on November 10, when New South Wales play Victoria at the SCG, may be too close to the start of the series – but he is keen to have the opportunity to replicate long-form intensity.Last season Hazlewood played one game for New South Wales ahead of the India Test series, and though he went wicketless across 24 overs against Queensland he was Australia’s best bowler early in the opening Test in Perth before his series was disrupted by injury. This winter, however, he was able to play all four Tests against South Africa and West Indies, albeit the workload on bowler-friendly Caribbean surfaces was not extreme.”The Test [only] guys will play more than one [Shield game]. They’ll probably play two or three, but everyone’s on different programs,” he said. “I used it last year and I’ve sort of found that it’s very beneficial. Time on the field, multiple spells in a day, it’s sort of hard to replicate it at training. So, to get that before a Test series is pretty pivotal, I think.”

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